Door-operating mechanism



Se t. 19

p 6 27 R. c. WALTER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 14. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Se t. 6 1927.

p R. c. WALTER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 14. 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 aman/nto@ Patented Sept.A 6, 1927.

uivrrunV si-.fires PATENT Orr-ice;

ROBERT c, WALTER, 4or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIGNOR To' DODGE BRoTHERs, Inc.

- OE DETROIT, MIORTGAN, A CORPORATION or MARYLAND.

n DOOR-OPERATINGk MEcHAivIsIlI.

i Application led January 14, 1926. Serial No. 871,353.

This invention relates to door operating mechanism and more particularly to mechanism dependent upon the movement of a movable body for controlling swinging doors 5 and the like.

l/Vhile many advantages of the pre-sent invention are obtained when the same is used in connection with any type of swinging closures nevertheless the invention finds particular utility in connection with swinging doors or kclosures of an oven or other heated compartment through which objects are adapted to be moved. Itis essential, particularly in Vconnection with drying yovens and the like, that the door-ways thereof be kept closed so as to maintain the entire oven or compartment at a. uniform temperature. j

In drying ovens and the like it is the practice to cause the objects, such for instance as automobile bodies, to travel through. the ovensv or drying rooms and t sov regulatel theV speed thereof that such bodies remain within `the ovens a `predetermined desired length of time. The bodies -Si thus being conveyed `through the oven are usually spaced apart and emerge from the oven at separated intervals between lwhich times it is highly desirous that the exit doors be maintained closed. Inasmuc'h as the rinstante of emergence of several bodies are not always uniformly spaced apart it is impractical to provide `automatic Vperiodically operating mechanism for controlling the exit doors and, for like reasons and also for economical reasons lit is impractical to manually controlthe exitV doors.

lt has therefore, been found to be more efficient to :provide a door operating mecha.-

' nism vrcontrolled and operated solely Vby the moving obj ect so ythat irrespective of the time elapsing ybetween the emergence of the Vobjects from withinthe oven the .doors will be properly controlled. It is essential however, in connectionwith ovens usedin drying automobile bodies that the doors be vso control'led as to consistently clear the bodies as they pass therethrough so as to positively eliminate the: danger `of V.marrirng'wor otherl wise defacing thefinish of the bodies. Thus the problem presents .itself lof providing a door controlling mechanisnifoperated by and onlyfuponthe emergenceof fa body and so controlling the doors` ,asto insu-re a complete clearance between them andi-the automobile ,b5 body or other Obj get-passing therethrough.

My invention. contemplates an arrangement wherein they objects and advantages mentioned above are fully and efficiently accomplished in4 a mechanically and commercially satisfactory manner. The invention isfurthermore distinguished by its simplicity which insures 'its durability and mechanical eliiciency.

4.The various objects, advantages fundamental structural features as well as novel details of construction *ofl one illustrative embodiment of the invention will be and made' more apparent as this description i proceeds especially when' considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein: p

Figure l is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of an oven or other drying compartment with my improved closure operating means associated therewith; l

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on lthe plane indicated by line 2 2 in Figure l, and; c

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the truck. Vhile the invention will be described as usedL in connection with. a drying oven or room for drying objects such ras automobile bodies it will become readily apparent ,to

those skilled in the art that the principles of the invfention are applicable to closures for use in connection with numerous other types of apparatus. However, in the illustrated embodiment herein disclosed l have shown fragmentarily the eXit end of an oven' or drying room 10 which includes a bottom or floor portion 11, sidewalls 12 and an o'pen end 13 through which the automobile bodies or other objects indicated in dotted lines at 14 emerge. The path of travel of the objects is preferably, although `not necessarily, defined byl a track-way comprising track members '15, one of which is preferably flanged forv guiding purposes and Aassociated with this track preferably employ a mobile member suc-h as a truck 16 or movable body provided with wheels which engage the track. members 15. 'In drying automobile bodies it is the practice to'mount the automobile body 14 on the truck or movable body 16 whereby the same is caused Ato travel longitudinally through the kdrying chamber 10.

The ,truck `or movable body 16 is provided at'its forward and rear ends thereofwithV itl projecting elements constituting bumpers li' of identical construction and projecting in a horizontal plane as illustrated. Each bumper is shaped to provide a `torward por tion 18 substantially parallel with the adjacent end ot the truclr 16 and with diverg ino side portions 19.

The exit opening 13 of the drying compartment l adapted to be closed by a pair ot sivirrgiiigl doors 20, hingedly connected attheir outside vertical edges to the side walls lil ot the drying' room by means ot? spring' hinges or the lille Q1. ln this connection however, it is to be noted that` the spring hinges are herein described merely as indicative that the doors Q0 are normally closed, itl being therefore quite obvious that any other means such as weigrhts,` or the like may be employed tor maintaining the doors in their closed position such as ilfustrated in Figure l. lt is preferable that the doors be simul taneously operated and to accomplish this they are interconnected by means ot' a linli pivoted as at 23 on the one hand to ay bra'clret ll projecting; inwardly Yfrom one oi the doors 2t) and on the other hand pivotally connected as at to a bracket QG projectinti' outwardly from the other door 20. Therefore a swinging movement imparted to either ot the doors will 'anse a similar movement simultaneously oit the other door. The connectiniii linl; Q2 is preferably@ althormgh not necessarily arranged adjacent the top oi" the doors so as to clear the door operating mechanism about to be described.

lliaidly secured to one ot the doors, and in a plane coincident with the horizontal plane ot' the bumpers l?, is an element 2T which in the torni herein illustrated comprises a noutlexible strip ol metal bent into a substantial V or wedge shape and secured to the inner tace ot one ot the doors 2O as indicated at QS. That portion ot the element indicated at 39 constitutes merely a rein'toreinp or sulmortinni member lor the extremity ot the `inclined portion 30. It will be noted that the surtace ot' the portion il() extends laterally or substantially trans versely ol the doors and door opening and is inclined with roterence thereto and in a s leneral direction toward the apiLn-oaching bodj,T carried by the truck 1G. The dimen` sion or lenlrrth ot the inclined surface l0 and its deo-ree ot inclination with reference to the door opening); so selected that it ill be engaged by the forwardly extendingl bumper li' and these two elements will :function to move the doors to a position to permit the en'iergence of the truck or movable body 1G and the automobile body le mounted thereon.

Af; mentioned, it is essential that the doors be swung' to such af position as to afford ample clearance lfor the automobile body ll, which it is noted, projects laterally a considerable distance from the sides of the truck 1G. The initial points oit the engagement et the bumper 1G and surface 3() ol the eletment 27 is indicated in full lines in Figure l. During the advancement oi the truck lo the corner ot' the bumper will ride outwardly ot the surface 30 toward the extremity ill thereof and upon a continued movement the extremity oi' the element 2T will travel alone` the suri'ace ot the bumper then outwardly along the inclined surlace l5) to the periph ery ot the truck and during; the intermediate stages ot emergence the extremity 3l ot the element 2T will transiently engage the adjacent side 32 ol' the truck lo. During this position ot' the truck the doors 20 will amply clear the sides ol the automobile body lfl as they will at.- that moment be open more widely than indicated by the dotted line position in Figure l wherein they have started to move into closingl position. As will be apparent trom this dotted line position ot the partsv the extremity 3l as itl leaves the peripheral surface 32 ot the truck will then engage the inclined surface 1S) of the rear bumper li' and during; the continued movement oi the truck 1G this extremity will ride rearwardly upon the surface 19 until the extremity 3l clears the rear end otf the bumper whereupon the springi hinges 2l. or other door closing; means will move the doors to closed position. lt is interesting to note that during the closingl movement oit the doors the rear bumper 17 will maintain the desired clearance bet-weon the doors and the rear portion ot' the body 14;.

From the :foregoing` it will be apparent that this` invention contemplates simple but etlfective means tor operating` the doors which means depends solely 'for its activity upon the approach and. emergence ot the object traveling through the doors and that at every moment during` the emergence ol the object the doors will remain in a position atl'ordiinil ample clearance between them and the object passing;l therethrough. lt will also be obvious` as indicated hereinbe'lore that the invention may be associated with closures used in various other connections and furthermore that the details ot construction may be materially altered without de parting- Atrom the spirit and scopo ot' the invention. Consequently to this end reserva,- tion is made to malte such changes in either the essential or nonwssimtia'l details of the invention as may come within the purview ol the accompanying claims.

lVhat l claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a movable body, of normally closed swinging closures and means on said body and a member on said closures engaging during, the emergence ot said body for controlling the closures to clear the body.

2. The combination with a pair of inter lll) lltl

lio

connected swinging doors, of a movable body adapted to move through said doors and a member on one of said doors engageable by said movable body for operating said doors to clear said movable body as the latter passes therethrough.

. 3. The combination with a doorway, a pair of interconnected swinging doors therefor and a body movable through said doorway, of an inclined substantially' transversely extending element secured to one of said doors and projecting toward the movable body, and means on said body, projecting forwardly and rearwardly thereof and engagin said element for controlling said doors in a vance of and after the emergence of said body through said doorway.

Il. The combination with a doorway and a pair of interconnected swinging doors, of an element carried by one of said doors, said element extending substantially transversely of said doorway and inclined with respect to said door; the length and degree of inclination of said element being so selected with reference to said doors that a body moving through said doorway will engage said element to control said doors in advance of and after the emergence of said body.

5. The combination with a doorway and a pair of normally closed interconnected swinging doors, of an element carried by one of said doors, said element extending substantially transversely ofsaid doorway and inclined with respect to said door; the length and degree of inclination of said element being so selected with reference to said doors lthat a body moving through said doorway v will engage said element to control said doors in advance of,rduring and after the emergence of said body.

6. In a door operating mechanism a'pair of interconnected doors and a laterally ex? tend-ing element secured to one of said doors and inclined relatively tothe plane of the door, said element projecting towardA an emerging body and engageable by said body for controlling the doors in advance of and after the passage of the body through the doorway. Y

7. The combination with a swinging door, of a laterally directed inclined element car ried by said door engageable by a body movable through the door opening closed by said door for controlling the door in advance of and after the emergence of said body.

8. The combination with a doorway, a

swinging door and a body to be moved through said doorway, of a door operating element'carried by said door and means on said body engaging said element for control- 'ling said door in advance of and after the emergence of said body.

9. The combination with a doorway, a pair of simultaneously'movable normally closed swinging doors and a body adapted to be moved through said doorway, of a door operating element carried by one of said doors and means on said body engaging said element for controlling said doors in advance of and after the emergence of said body.

10. The combination with an enclosure having a doorway, swinging interconnected doors for said doorway, and a body movable from within saidy enclosure through said doorway, of door operating means including anelement mounted on the inside of one of said doors and presenting an inclined Vsubstantially transversely extending surface, and means projecting forwardly and rearwardly or said body and engaging said element for controlling said doors in advance of and after the emergence of said body through said doorway.

ll. The combination with an enclosure having a doorway, normally closed swingingv interconnected doors for said doorway, and a body movable from within said enclosure through said doorway, of door operating means including an element mounted on the inside of one of said doors and presenting an inclined substantially transversely extending surface toward said movable body, and means projecting forwardly and rearwardly of said body and engaging said element for controlling said doorsv in advance of and after the emergence of said body through said doorway.

12. The combination with an enclosure having a doorway, normally closed swinging interconnected doors for said doorway, and' a body movable from within said enclosure through said doorway, of do-or operating means including an element mounted on the inside of one of said doors and presenting an inclined substantially transversely extending surface and means arranged peripherally of said body and engaging said element for controlling said doors prior to, during, and after the passage of said body through said doorway. Y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT C. WALTER'. 

